While most students were busy study-ing for finals or perhaps falling asleep in Clemons, a new CIO silently emerged. The Roosevelt Institution launched its first chapter event on Dec. 6, announcing that this student-run, non-aggressive and non-partisan think tank would join the rest of the University's organizations.
The Roosevelt Institution is the first entirely student-run think tank in America and was originally formed by students at Yale and Stanford shortly after the 2004 presidential election. This institution was established in order to provide students with an outlet for getting their policy ideas heard by policy makers.
Chip Johnson, University chapter founder and president, said he was inspired to start the organization after spending last summer living in Washington, D.C. in a dorm next door to one of the founders from Yale. After doing some online research and making some phone calls, Johnson realized there was no outlet for University students to affect public policy.
"As students, we do the work of think tanks every day, but we do not have access to the process," Johnson said. "We want to aggregate students and come together with ideas and put them into the hands of the media, policy makers and other think tanks. We want to put them into the hands of people who can take these ideas and run with them."
The launch event hosted guest speaker David Goodfriend, co-founder of Air America Radio and former aide to the Clinton Administration. Because of the lack of left-wing talk on the radio, Goodfriend said, he quit his job to start his own program. He founded the company Air-America and contracted with political celebrities such as Randi Rhodes and Al Franken.
Less than one year after Goodfriend's project began, Air America was on the air, and other talent began signing contracts with the company. As a result of outstanding debt, the company went bankrupt and Goodfriend was forced to relinquish the company to investors. Although he resigned, he told those at the launch event that, "Air America is a success, and progressive talk is here to stay."
Lindsay Miller, George Washington University student and D.C. Director for George Washington University, spoke at the event as well.
"Colleges are effective think tanks, but [they are] not effectively think tanks," Miller said. "We are told to be smart, and we deserve a chance to be listened to. Roosevelt Institution is your PR firm."
A major accomplishment for the Institution was the Roosevelt Review, a journal recently published with policy papers written by students across the nation. Over 30 universities wrote more than 200 proposals for the journal. The final copy of the Review consisted of eight pieces written by students.
According to Miller, members of the Roosevelt Institution at George Washington University took a week off from school in order to distribute the Roosevelt Review for eight hours a day. They stormed Capitol Hill and were able to distribute approximately 588 reviews to every Congressional Office. The next Roosevelt Review will be published this August.
"The Review is one of the avenues that we have to publish our work, but it's not the only one," Johnson said. "We're going to build relationships with people in government. [We will be] making contacts in Capitol Hill and in Richmond."
Miller said the objective of the Roosevelt Institution is to bring together Democrats and Republicans. She emphasized in her speech that the organization discusses the issues and not only the politics.
"One of the great things about the Roosevelt Institution is that it's nonpartisan," said Christina Heischmidt, Director of Public Relations. "We have UDems and College Republicans and sometimes that's not the best way to work it. With this organization you're not only collaborating with different people but also trying to find a method of public policy that they can agree on."
With over 120 chapters across the nation, the University chapter intends to provide students with public policy ideas and a chance to be heard. Currently, the chapter features the following eight policy centers: Civil Rights, Foreign Policy, Economic Policy, Education, Environmental Policy, Global Health & Human Rights, Growth and Urban Development and the Media.
The goal of these policy centers will be to produce policy papers. Research done for class assignments can be turned into a policy paper, and these centers will provide access for students' ideas to be heard. In his speech, Johnson said he hopes this Institution will make a difference by establishing tools that will help change politics.
Johnson said the Institution plans to begin policy writing this semester.
"It's not about politics, it's about policy," Miller said. "It's not about big government or small government but better government. Not left, not right, but forward."
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